Kathy Henrich understands the role the tech industry plays better than most people. After spending 30 years working at IBM, Kathy realized there was a bigger problem that needed to be addressed: talent development. She ultimately decided to take a leave of absence to attain a master’s degree in workforce and talent development. Today, Kathy sits as CEO of MKE Tech Hub Coalition where she works to create inclusive opportunities in the tech industry for young people in the Milwaukee area.
Even though the tech industry makes up almost 10% of Wisconsin’s economy, there is a lack of talented employees. According to Kathy, the best way to recruit talent is to nurture it from a young age. This is why it would benefit all schools to incorporate computer science into their curriculum. Kathy explains that encouraging kids of diverse backgrounds to embrace the value of technology opens pathways to employment that can positively impact not only the individual but the industry as a whole.
Join the Johnson Brothers on this week’s episode of Running into the Fog for a conversation with Kathy Henrich about the depth of the tech industry. Learn more about why Kathy and the MKE Tech Hub Coalition believe diversity, recruitment, and development of talent are the keys to paving the future for technology in the Milwaukee area and beyond.
Quotes
• “The mission of the coalition is to inclusively double tech talent in the Milwaukee region.” (04:48-04:53)
• “We actually infused a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion including a very specific target of at least 50% of everyone we serve coming from demographics that have been traditionally underrepresented in tech.” (07:34-07:50)
• “Having an effective coalition means working together in ways that bring the best skill sets from other organizations forward to deliver.” (12:53-13:06)
• “The Milwaukee region has a huge asset. We actually have the sixth-highest concentration of college students per capita.” (22:42-22:50)
• “Tech is nine and a half percent of our economy.” (27:35-27:38)
Links
Connect with Kathy:
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyhenrich/
Website – https://www.mketech.org/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/kshenri
Instagram – @kshenri and @Kathyhenrich
https://nexaurorawdc.wpengine.com/
Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/
Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/